


Breaking News: Local Inkling Not Inkling

by Rainbowleaf



Series: Gun Expansion AU [2]
Category: Splatoon
Genre: M/M, Multi, a fluffy ship fic with a Twist, by gays for gays, possible spoilers for Gun Expansion, skull is a bug
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-22
Updated: 2018-11-14
Packaged: 2019-07-15 14:09:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,657
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16064732
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rainbowleaf/pseuds/Rainbowleaf
Summary: Ever since the world returned to normal, Skull of the S4 has been acting rather oddly. Everyone assumes it's a bad bout of the flu, or just Skull being his usual eccentric self- but when he accidentally reveals his true form, the rest of the S4 is forced to come to terms with the fact that maybe things aren't as normal as they all thought.





	1. "Wow, Turf War just got interesting!"

**Author's Note:**

> WARNING: This work contains themes of entomophobia, arachnophobia, body horror, parasitism, and potentially other triggers which may disturb or disgust some readers.  
> Please proceed with caution.

“And victory goes to…”

“The S4 Team!”

A cheer went up from the crowd as Callie announced the results of the match. The S4 stood triumphantly. Aloha let out a cheer of his own, wrapping his arms around Skull and Army.

“Yeah! We did it!” He laughed. “This calls for a celebration!”

“Does it really…? It was just an ordinary Turf War…” Mask murmured.

“Heck yeah, it does! This was our first battle together since we all came back from the dead. It's been decades since I took you guys out on a date, come on!” Aloha rushed forward to grab Mask's hand, pulling him towards the exit. Mask had no say in the matter.

“Hey, where are you going?!” Army yelled after them.

“To a restaurant!~”

“Wait for us!” Army called, running to catch up. Skull stared for a moment before following them.

~~~~

Skull looked down at the plate of food in front of him. He hadn't really thought about what he was getting when he'd ordered it, his usual huge platter of pasta with cheese sauce, but now that it was here Skull realized his mistake.

He couldn't eat this.

He looked back up at the others, who all seemed to be enjoying their meals. Aloha was busy telling Mask a story about his early days in Turf War.

“Hey, Skull, is everything alright?” Army was looking at him in concern. “You haven't touched your food.”

“I'm not hungry,” Skull said. At this, everyone stopped to stare at him in shock.

“You?” Mask asked in astonishment. “But you're always hungry.”

“I’m not feeling well,” Skull replied. “I don't have much of an appetite right now.” He was, in fact, extremely hungry, but he didn't want the others to know. If they did, they'd start asking questions about why he wouldn't eat anything, and he didn't have any good answer to give them.

“It's alright,” Aloha said, patting Skull’s back soothingly. “If you don't feel like eating anything, we won't make you. Okay?”

“We can take it home for you to eat whenever you do feel better,” Mask added.

“Thanks, guys.” Skull sighed with relief. “I don't know what I'd do without you.”

“No problem, sweetie.” Aloha smiled.

“You should at least drink some water,” Army suggested. “It'll help you recover.”

Skull nodded and grabbed his soda glass, raising it to his mouth. He drained the entire glass in a single slurp, then set it back down. All his husbands were looking at him with confused and worried looks on their faces. Skull coughed, slightly uncomfortable.

“Don’t worry about me,” Skull tried to reassure them. This only served to make them more worried. Mask leaned over the table and held Skull's hand.

“You know you can tell us if there's ever something wrong...” Mask said quietly. “You don't have to hide anything from us.”

“I know.” Skull squirmed and looked down. He was uncomfortable having everyone's eyes on him. “I- like I told you, I'm just a bit sick today. It's not that big a deal. Let's just enjoy ourselves like we came here for, okay?” He smiled the best he could, though it was mostly obscured by the bandana covering his mouth.

“Yeah, you're right. Let's not waste this night, huh?” Aloha looked around at the others.

“We can use this time to go over our performance in battle today,” Army said. Everyone else around the table groaned good-naturedly.

“Noooo, don't torture us like this,” Mask lamented with a chuckle.

“I thought you loved us, Army.” Aloha grinned and shook his head. All four of them laughed.

Skull began to grow more relaxed as the topic of the conversation drifted away from whatever was wrong with him. He began to enjoy himself more, and eventually, it was as if that tense moment had never happened at all.

~~~~

“‘Night! I love you!”

“I love you, too.”

Aloha smiled and kissed Skull on the cheek. “You make sure not to stay up too late, alright? Gotta get up early for practice tomorrow.”

“Yeah, don't worry,” Skull assured. He watched as Aloha went off to bed. Mask and Army had gone to sleep earlier, so he was the only one still up. Just as planned. Skull went into the bathroom and locked the door behind him. He looked in the mirror, his reflection staring back at him. He looked exactly as he always had, though perhaps a bit tired.

Then he pulled the bandana down.

His mouth was no longer recognizable as something belonging to an Inkling. It contained jagged teeth, and insectoid mandibles which unfolded from the sides of his mouth. He raised a hand to feel the tips of his teeth. They were razor sharp, enough that they could probably draw blood incredibly easily; he was almost glad he didn't have a tongue anymore, or he probably would've bitten it clean in half.

Well… that wasn't quite true. He had a tongue, but it wasn't exactly how it used to be. Skull tried sticking it out and instead, a bug-like proboscis protruded from his mouth. It was long, thin and sharp. An even longer and thinner tongue emerged, and he stared at it. It was probably long enough to even lick the top of his head- not that he wanted to…

Speaking of licking things, he was starving. But eating like this was a challenge; his proboscis was made for sucking things out of other things. Namely, sucking all the internal organs out of Inklings and Octolings. He knew because he'd done it. Numerous times. That had been before he got his memories back, he hadn't known what he was doing. But he still had blood on his hands.

Skull retracted his mouthparts and pulled the bandana back over his mouth before heading back out of the bathroom. He had to eat something, at least. He made his way to the kitchen, pulling the take-home container of pasta from the fridge.

Once again, Skull found himself staring at his food but unable to actually eat it. His mouth just couldn't deal with solid foods. After some deliberation, he took the whole package of food and dumped it into the blender.

~~~~

Mask was woken up by a noise from downstairs. He groaned and glanced over at the clock, which read 12:50 AM. And that sound just would not stop.

He had to carefully extract himself from between his husbands to avoid waking them. Aloha was laying with one arm draped over him, fast asleep, while Army was on his other side. Skull didn't seem to be there with them, for whatever reason.

Mask managed to get out of bed without waking anyone (thank goodness the others were heavy sleepers) and headed down to see what the commotion was. There was a light on in the kitchen, and it looked like that was where the noise was coming from too. He went in, to see Skull doing something with the blender.

“Skull?” Mask asked. Skull jumped in surprise and turned to face him.

“Y-yeah?”

“What in the fresh fuck are you doing?”

“I…” Skull looked at the blender, then back at Mask. “I put all my food in the blender.”

“Oh.” Mask blinked. “...Why?”

“I… don't know.”

“...Okay.” Mask didn't want to deal with this right now, or ever. He turned and walked out of the kitchen. “Goodnight, Skull.”

“...Goodnight.”

~~~~

Skull quietly hummed a tune to keep his focus. He didn't blink at all as he stared around at MakoMart from his vantage point. If one looked very closely, they could see a thin, clear membrane covering his eyes. But of course, no one would get close enough to see.

He stayed perfectly still, a finger on the trigger of his E-Liter. A movement caught his eye. He tracked it with his scope, holding the trigger, and watched as an Inkling emerged from the ink.

Release the trigger. Splat the enemy. Then repeat.

After a while, Skull realized he was out of ink. He transformed to refill his tank, but he couldn't seem to submerge.

A hush fell over the crowd. Callie and Marie stopped their commentary. Even the battlefield went silent.

Skull couldn't figure out why everyone was staring at him.

~~~~

Everyone went completely quiet. Standing there, where Skull was just a moment ago, was a giant bug. It defied classification- vaguely worm-like, vaguely spider-like, with four long legs ending in sharp points.

“I think he forgot about the whole bug thing,” Rider muttered.

“Wow, Turf War just got interesting!” Goggles was completely unfazed, still his usual chirpy self.

The Squid Sisters were struggling to find the right words to describe what had just transpired. “Skull of the S4… seems to have just transformed into some sort of enormous insect,” Marie said.

“This, uh… is definitely a shocking twist!” Callie added helpfully.

Skull transformed back into his humanoid form, like he was trying to pretend nothing had happened. It didn't work.

“Uh… We're calling off this match until we get this sorted out,” Marie's voice echoed. “Everyone, return to the spawn points.”

All the players obeyed and jumped back to their team's respective spawn- all except Skull. He stood frozen as the horror finally sunk in, then ran to the edge of the stage.

“Wait- where's Skull going?!” Callie yelled. By the time she finished the sentence, he'd already scrambled over the barrier separating the battle stage from the rest of MakoMart. He hit the ground running, and kept going until he was out of the building entirely. It wasn't long before the rest of the S4 Team followed him.

“I… uh… hm.” Marie was at a total loss for words.


	2. Hiding in Plain Sight

“Did you guys see which way he went?” When the other two shook their heads, Mask cursed under his breath.

“Damn it,” Army cursed out loud. “We should've realized there was something wrong last night! Maybe then we could've kept this from happening… kept him from running off.”

“We did.” Aloha shook his head. “We all knew there was _something_ wrong. But there's no way we could've predicted this.”

Army's expression twisted into what could only be described as a grimace. “Even so, we still could've done more. We _should've_ done more.”

“Too late for that now,” Mask sighed. “All we can do now is find Skull and make sure he's safe. So…” He trailed off, looking expectantly at Army. Aloha was doing the same thing. Both of them were looking to him to lead them- a huge contrast from when they'd first formed the S4 Team, all those years ago.

“Alright.” Army took a deep breath and considered the situation. “... We should split up and look for him. Mask, I want you to go check the house in case he went back home. Aloha and I will search the town.”

“Got it.” Mask nodded.

“Inkopolis is big, though, there's a whole lot of ground to cover,” Aloha murmured thoughtfully. “We should ask around, maybe someone saw which way he went?”

“Good idea,” Army praised. In fact, he was a bit jealous he hadn't thought of that himself. “Let's go, then. If either of you find Skull, send me a text.”

“Right!” Aloha chirped, immediately running over to a nearby Inkling. “'Scuse me, have you seen an Inkling wearing a Skull Bandana? Dreamy purple eyes? Could you tell us where he went?”

“Uh, I think I saw someone like that running that way.” She pointed down a rather busy street.

“Perfect! Thank you so much!” Aloha yelled, already running in the direction she’d pointed. Army ran after him, though he had no hope of catching up. Aloha was just that fast.

Eventually, Aloha got out of sight, and Army slowed to a stop. The whole search felt futile. Though they did know the general direction Skull had gone in, that hardly narrowed it down at all. He could be practically anywhere in Inkopolis by now- or, Army suddenly realized, he could have even left the city. But Skull wouldn't do that, right…? He wouldn't just leave them all behind.

In light of everything that had happened within the last 24 hours, Army wasn't sure he knew _what_ Skull would do. So much had been called into question. So much he took for granted had been thrown on its head. Army, the one who had an answer for every situation, the one who planned everything out to the tiniest detail, had no idea what to do. He was lost, both literally and figuratively. There was one thing he still knew for certain, though: he needed Skull back.

Army paced around in the street. If he didn't have a plan, he could make a new one. Even if Skull had been acting especially strangely recently, he was still Skull. Still the same person Army had always known. So where would Skull go, in a situation like this?

Something clicked inside Army’s mind. He looked up.

There was Skull.

~~~~

Skull sat sobbing at the top of Deca Tower. He couldn't seem to stop the tears flowing from his eyes. He'd fucked everything up. He didn't know if he could ever go back to the others, now that they knew the truth. Now that they'd seen the real him.

Skull was so preoccupied, he didn't notice the Inkling flying through the air towards him. But he noticed when Army landed from a Super Jump right next to him. He was so startled, he nearly fell off the tower.

“A-Army?!” He stammered.

“Skull.” Army paused, seemingly trying to choose the right words. “We've all been looking for you… Everyone's worried about you.” Immediately, more tears sprung from Skull’s eyes. He felt even worse now.

“Sorry,” Skull murmured. “For being so… s-selfish…” He brought his knees close to his chest, wrapping his arms around them.

“No, Skull, it's okay.” Army put a hand on his husband's shoulder, trying to reassure him. “Don't worry. What matters is that you're okay.”

“This seems okay to you?” Skull muttered. “You saw what happened. What I turned into.”

“I meant… You're alive. Safe.” Army smiled faintly. “That's the important thing. Whatever happened out there, I don't understand it. I don't think I _can_ understand it unless you explain it to me. Talk to me, Skull. Please.”

“I… I can try.” Skull exhaled and unfolded himself slightly. He was reluctant to actually talk about The Incident, but eventually managed to choke words out. “I- um. When I… transformed out there… That giant bug thing? That's… the real me.”

“Okay.” Army kept his expression carefully neutral.

“So I, ah… I'm not really an Inkling anymore,” Skull explained quietly. “There are others like me- hundreds of them… I don't know where they are now, though.”

“How long have you been this way?” Army carefully sat down beside Skull, looking out at the city below them. Even from this height a fall wouldn't hurt them, but it still made him a bit anxious to be up here. It looked like Skull was anxious for different reasons.

“Twenty years or so. But I wasn't really myself at the time.

“Twenty years?” Army's brow furrowed. “I thought you died not long after I did. That's what the others said, at least…”

“They were wrong. I guess I can see why they'd think that, though… I did disappear without a trace.” Skull clasped his hands together.

“Then what really happened?” Army pressed gently. Skull was hesitant to respond.

“W-well, I got captured. And taken away, by these- enormous bug things, a-and…” He took a deep, shaky breath to steady himself. “They took me back to their hive and they, they turned me into one of them. It hurt so much, and then when it was over, I couldn't remember who I was. I couldn't even remember you guys. I was just… I was like a mindless animal…” Skull broke down into sobs again. Telling the story was too much for him.

“It's okay,” Army whispered, giving Skull a tight hug. “It's okay. It's over now.”

“No, it's not!” Skull cried out. “Even if I'm not part of the h-hive anymore, I'm still one of those things. I've done awful things, I… I killed so many people, and kidnapped so many more. To be transformed, like I was.”

“That wasn't you.” Army rubbed his husband's back soothingly. “Like you said, you weren't yourself. I know you, Skull, and I know you would never hurt anyone if you had the choice.”

“But I _remember_ hurting them,” Skull said with a choked sob. “I remember everyone. Everyone I killed, everyone I t-took. They were all so scared…”

“Think about it this way. Everyone you killed would've come back, right? And anyone you took away knows exactly what you went through, what kind of situation you were in.”

“I… I guess you're right. But even so…” Skull trailed off and shook his head.

They sat in silence for a moment, neither of them really knowing what to say. Army was the one who broke the silence.

“Today has certainly been eventful, hasn't it?” He tried- and failed- to smile. “... It's just started, and I'm already exhausted.”

“Yeah,” Skull agreed. He knew what Army meant, he felt like he could sleep for months.

“Do you think you're ready to go home?”

“...Yeah.”

Army nodded and pulled his phone out of his pocket.

 

CommanderCurry> Found Skull. Will be bringing him home soon.

♪Party♫Animal♪> THANK GOD

maskedmarauder> oh good i was just about to text saying i didn't find him

maskedmarauder> where was he anyway?

CommanderCurry> On top of Deca Tower.

maskedmarauder> he WHAT

♪Party♫Animal♪> WTF

♪Party♫Animal♪> HOLY SHIT I CAN SEE YOU FROM HERE!!

♪Party♫Animal♪> HI!!!!!

♪Party♫Animal♪> CAN YOU SEE ME WAVING

CommanderCurry> Yes

skull.iz.cool> hey so uh

skull.iz.cool> im sorry :(

♪Party♫Animal♪> dont you DARE!!!!!! there's NOTHING for you to apologize for

♪Party♫Animal♪> come down here right now so i can hug you

skull.iz.cool> I’d love to but i think i’m gonna have some trouble getting down

♪Party♫Animal♪> okay fine! I’ll come to you!!!

CommanderCurry> ALOHA! NO!

 

Army's warning came too late, and he and Skull braced themselves as Aloha Super Jumped towards them. Rather than landing normally and letting his body absorb the force, he flew towards Skull with his arms outstretched. Skull didn't have time to get out of the way before getting knocked backwards onto the top of the tower, in what was quite possibly the most violent hug in history.

“I MISSED YOU!” Aloha yelled at the top of his lungs, clinging tightly to Skull.

“Ow,” Skull said quietly. “I missed you, too…”

“I missed you so, so much!” Aloha's voice was muffled from where he had his face buried in Skull's shoulder.

“Okay, okay.” Skull coughed, a weak tone of amusement in his voice. “I can't breathe, Aloha. You're going to love me to death.”

“That's my specialty!” Aloha announced with a huge grin. He squeezed Skull for a moment before releasing him, tears in his eyes. “Sorry.” He laughed, wiping them away. “I just… I'm really glad you're okay.”

“...Thank you,” Skull whispered. Aloha stood, helping Skull up along with him, before enveloping him in another embrace.

“Told you everyone missed you,” Army said with a smirk. Skull gave a weak chuckle in response, wrapping his arms around Aloha. Army seemed about to say something else, but was interrupted by his phone vibrating in his pocket. Aloha got a notification at the same time- but Skull didn't feel the buzzing of his own phone. In fact, it was nowhere to be found.

“Uh, guys? I don't know where my phone is,” Skull spoke up. The others turned to look at him.

“You were holding it when I came up here,” Aloha said. He had his own phone out, but wasn't looking at it, distracted as he'd been by Skull's interjection.

“Yeah, I didn't have time to put it away before you crashed into me.”

“Sorry!” Aloha laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. “You think your phone's okay…?”

“I doubt it,” Army stated. “It's not up here, so it must've fallen off the tower.”

“...oh.” Skull let out a sigh. That was just his luck, wasn't it?

“Well, we'd better jump down and look for it, then, right?” Aloha asked.

“Hang on,” Skull interrupted. “I don't think I can jump down that far. Not safely, at least.”

“Why not…?” Aloha tilted his head.

“I’m… different now. Physically. And I don't know if I can survive a fall like that anymore.” Skull looked down, unable to meet Aloha's eyes. He didn't want to try and explain this again. At least, not _right now_. Luckily, Aloha seemed to understand, because he didn't press the subject any further.

“Well… Is there a way you can get back down safely?” Army questioned.

“Yeah, I can get down.” Skull nodded. Now that he'd been... _changed_ , he could climb walls; even in humanoid form, and without ink. Not that he’d been _meaning_ to, of course… He’d just ran and ran and then ended up at the top of the tower.

“Then we’ll meet you at the bottom, alright?” Army asked. When Skull nodded, Army took a deep breath and carefully stepped off the edge of the tower. Aloha looked down after him, a look of bemusement on his face.

“Stay safe,” he said, standing on tiptoe to plant a quick kiss on Skull's cheek. Without waiting for a response, Aloha took a running leap off of the tower, headed down after Army.

Once again, Skull was all by himself on top of Deca Tower. But he didn't feel as alone as before. Nor did he feel as helpless as he had when he first came up here. He felt like he could actually start to work on making things better.

Well… he could once he managed to get down from here, at least.


End file.
